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Peterson, Halsmer open Trans-Am season with wins at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

May 20, 2012

Trans-Am Series drivers Doug Peterson and Pete Halsmer showed on Sunday that racing for wins never gets old.

The pair of racing veterans, Peterson, 61, and Halsmer, 68, drove to victories at the season-opening Trans-Am Series race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada, on Sunday.

Peterson, of Bonita Springs, Fla., drove a Chevrolet Corvette to the Trans-Am race win, while former CART driver Halsmer, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., won the Trans-Am 2 race in a Chevrolet Camaro.

Ian Patterson finished second, 2.686 seconds behind Peterson.

Tony Ave, last year's Trans-Am Series points champion and winner of six of the nine races in 2011, went out midway through the race with engine issues. He completed just 16 of the 34 laps and finished in 10th place in the 10-car Trans-Am field.

It was the first Trans-Am 2 race for Halsmer, who had 33 major open-wheel race starts between 1980 and 1985.

“We're really pleased,” said Halsmer. “This is the first race for both of these cars and Mike Miller's racing operation.”

Bob Stretch was runner-up in the Trans-Am 2 race.

“[The win] was really just a matter who managed their tires the best,” Halsmer said. “I could see [Stretch's] tires were going off quicker than mine. I think that was always one of my strengths in Trans-Am in the past.”

Halsmer previously raced in the Trans-Am Series for Jack Roush in the late 1980s.

Pete Halsmer won the Trans-Am 2 race. Photo by John Thawley

Results from the 34 lap, 83.606-mile Trans-Am Championship Trans-Am Championship Round One race, part of the Victoria Weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, with finishing position, class, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, laps and reason out (if any).